One-hundred naked places… Europe (outside of France)

100 places to get naked before you die

PART FOUR: EUROPE (other than France)

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Inadvertently hit publish on this page before it was ready. Check back in a few days to see our REAL travelogue of naturist travel in Europe.

After our first few naturist journeys to France, I started reading more about other naturist places in Europe, particularly those in Croatia, Greece, and Spain. Of course, nothing matters more to a naturist than good weather, and it stands to reason the south equals warm, something you can’t always count on, especially on the Atlantic coast of France.

We became very fond of Croatia and have returned several times to enjoy the typically calm waters of the Adriatic Sea. Unfortunately, the major naturist centers (Koversada, Valalta, and Solaris) are in the north on the Istrian Peninsula, while the main sight-seeing destinations (Hvar and Dubrovnik) are at the other end of the country. You can almost always find a naturist tolerant beach in Croatia regardless of where you’re staying, but the sheer scale of a place like Valalta or Koversada is truly impressive, especially if your desire is to naked; morning, noon, and night.

Koversada, Croatia

The conservative mores of Greece make naturism a bit more complicated there. Gradually, a few more official naturist venues have been appearing, typically in remote places without direct access to an official naturist beach. Vritomartis on Crete is a notable exception in that the nearby beach is recognized as one to the only official nude beaches on the entire island, though it’s not the islands prettiest beach. The extensive pages of Cap’n Barefoot’s Naturist Guide is an invaluable resource to the au natural traveler, with regular updates about various nude beaches from contributors from all over the world.

Our travels in Spain have been more limited, though we will make our first trip to the Canary Islands in the coming months. Officially, nudity is allowed on any beach (or any place) in Spain as long as it doesn’t offend the locals. After several people put that to the test, there are now laws the forbid nudity in Barcelona after a few too many tourists were surprised by men walking about naked.

What are the rules, exactly?

Sadly, Italy is essentially out of the mix. There are a few small places there, but religious attitudes have kept the naked people under wraps. There are naturist campgrounds to be found in Germany and Austria, but you have to be a bit more resilient in cool weather if you’re going to tent-camp in the Alps. I will dedicate another page to the “spa culture” in northern Europe – while not exactly naturist, provides the opportunity to get naked any time of the year. (You can read about the famous Therme Erding in a previous post.)

With the advent of digital cameras, internet sites bulging with nude images, and now issues with burkinis on the beaches of Nice, naturism is changing in Europe, too. My general observation is that there are fewer children at the naturist beaches and resorts, and naturist centers have become increasingly tolerant of teenagers remaining clothed despite the rules that apply to everyone else. But all said, if you’re hell bent on a “nakation,” it’s hard to beat the naturist places in Europe.